Safety valve



Sept. 1 3, 1932. w E-A 1,877,457

SAFET-Y VALVE Filed March 14. 1930 ZSheets-Sheet 1 LkolA/n/ giro/aways Patented Sept. 13, 1932 v nossnnn .COMPANYIQIMITED, orfsrocnronr, ENGLAND f. I a

sArn'ry vALvn ap lication"meal-march 4; 1930, Serial-No. 435;?51, a e Great as April '25, 1929.

5 This invention relates to safety valves for steam generators or other vesselscontaining fluids under pressure, .andparticularly to safety valves for the boiler-srof locomotives. it is known to providemeans which permit of adjustment of the contained spring so that regulation (within limits), as to the pressure at which the valve will .lift orbeco-me opera.- tive can be arranged for; A known arrangement is, to usera compression screw or adjusting device which en ages a screw-thread .cut on the interior 0 the valve casing. Other arrangements'to this end also exist, but apart from the provision. in United States specification-1,665,850, to alter a setting once arranged for in a sealed-up safety valve, ithas been necessary to break the seal before access cou-ldbe had to the compression screw or adjusting device. i As is known, once a safety valvehas left 'the testing plate and been sealed-up itis highly, important that no should occur-save by the makers or the most highly skilled officials, hence the careful sealing-up followingjtest. p 1

In, actual practice I believe it would be a I convenience to provide for a slight'or predetermined adjustment or alteration in the setting of a valve up or down by the less highly skilled, whereby when a. valve has been fixed and is bedded down and iput -to work (or when conditions are 1 slightly changed minor regulations-upor down as can be permitted without breaking the seal .or otherwise disturbing internal mechanism. This I proposeto arrange forin this sense. -Iso arrangemattersas to be .able to add to -orrelieve the spring-pressure within prearranged'limits up or down, and to be able to do this without breaking the seal or interferinwith the mechanism of the-valve which is ,seiledeup by the makers. V V

As the onlypart of he valve mechanism which can conveniently emerge isythe valve spindle, it is thisI modify and arrange to act H011 to affect the spring either by slightly addi-ng toior subtracting from .the; effective pres sure of the spring.

Censequently I so construct, apply to,lcom- 1 i'seet0 turn e spines t rough aliniited a bine, and mount the said valve spindle,,that

if same is actuated externally, the va1-ve indle .so actor function asto add slightly r to the pr.es'sure-exerted by the? spring-or slightly relieve the spring pressureas may t5 .be desired and according as to whether ad jnstment is to be .up .or down. Provisionis made such as will strictly limitthepossible adjustment from outside. I l Two obvious ways are, '(1) :to extendor 6.0 contract the valve spindle in effective length,

tolutilize :a part or parts which rotation :or movement of the valve spindle affects. f r the end in view, but any 'meansi whi'chare operative on a partial rotation L011 movement 95 of the valvelspindle orof means'mounted onwthe said spindleyfor the end in view are within the scope .of my invention,, prov i ded- --the protruding spindleelement itself is directly orjindiirectlyactuated, for-thepllliposes mentioned. lnterfe-rence The accompanying illustrate j rious mechanicalv arrangements connection spring pressure prearranged limits simply acting onigthe valve spindle. lnthesaiddrawingsk'e Fig. l isa diagram'ofattypeof$19 01)? valve indicating that the upper end of. the .8

valve spindle is a usually *the onlyj-partjwhich,

protruding from the casing, is available for y thep-urposes of our invention to the pressure .at which the valve will blow combination and' whereby the obj ect -gofg the 5 invention Canbe CarriedJ ut...

, Figs.- 2,3 and eshowa twopart spindle 7 arrangement.

, Fig. 6' shows a furthermodifieation' Fig. -7 shows another. modification. T

Figs. 8- and '9 indicateanother modification.

Figs.,;10, and lil shows twofurther mod fications. n Y n V 8,;

-- In thedrawings I represent byFi-g. 1 the top of a-ty-pical safety ,valveA of the pop 9 .7 type with the upper end --of-the .va-lve sp ndle emerging and -marked a; andlgthe spindle extremity is prepared for the application of. .a spanner or tool at such time as may-be'f number of degrees. I have marked the spring 6 andthe lower spring cap 0. In the example Figs. 2, 3 and-4, the valve spindle a has an enlarged lower extremity a with depending limb a and the extremity a is bored and has a screw-threadcut in the bore. I provide a short lower or auxiliary shank d and the upper part has a screw-thread d cutthereon,

whilst the lower end is machined to rounded conicalorother form and-a cross pin'd? 1s passed at right-an'gles'thro'ughtheshank d.

. The rounded, conical end of the shank. d fits a shaped seating recess in the actual lifta ble valvec'element e, and on the upper face of .such valve element 6 abutments e are pro ;vided; i The cross-pin d fitting between, the abutments 6 holds the shank (Zagainst turning movement. If aspanner or other tool I be applied to the head of'ithe spindle a, then threaded shank d the effective length of the said spindle a can be rotated to'a slight extent to right or left of the position seen'in Fig.4, andby reason of the screwed lower extremity a of the spindle a acting on the'screw- 7 pin d held in a machined recess in the valve Y element a. The enlarged lower extremity a trudes into such-gap a "hasa quadrant" shaped gap a out 'in' the fan- 'nular side wall and an abutment pin e? pro- V with asl'eeve a there I being: a screw-thread on the spindle exterior 'andsleeve interior. '40

The -lower spring cap 0 is. fixed againstturningby a in-e projecting from the valve element 'e'into a slot in: the lower spring-cap.

The limits of turning movement of thespin- 'dlefa relative to thQ ValVQ proper are shown ascdefined by' -pinff and slotja f or by a pin '0; anddepending 'abutments cf}. 7 1

' In' 7 the spindle a' screws: into a pro- 1 vided 'nut-like base piece f, theiscrew-'thread valvjeelement e. Thelower spring'cap' c 'cut'fin the latter engaging the lower scr ew- .'-threaded end ofthesaid spindle a; the-shaped extremity of which rests in a-rece ss-in 'tl1e 'projecting'from the valve element e and en gaging V prevents the latter: from turning. Agplni a working to abutments- 7 f limits "the turning movement" of,tlie valve spindle a relative to the'val've proper. v I 0 In thestructure; Fig. 8; the'valve spindle a "o is sorew-threaded and the lower extremity fits intojthe valveelement. The lower spring cap v ie'cliextremity'of valve spindle a as'shown. u Th s lower pri gm c 'is pr'evented. from turning by the p n e projecting'in'to 'the groove 0 whilst a thick disc 9 fixed by a'pin g to the valve spindle afhas a depending proj ection g which plays in the quadrant recess 0 in the lower springcap 0 (see Fig. 9).

Fig. 10 shows the lower spring capo formed 7 as a nut' and held/by the pin 67 and the valve spindle a has a-ring h screwethreaded ex- ..ternally. and sitting on a shoulder as shown and fixed to the valve spindle by a pin lz. The shaped'lower end ofthe valve spindle-fits the valve element proper andthere is a pin a l movable within theconfining limits of a quadrant shaped slot 0 ,In Fig. l 1-- the valve spindles has a squared this sockets i-in' a correspondingly bored block i-screw-threzided-on the exteriomthesblock I fittinga screw-threaded cavity in -the valve element '6. If the valve spindle bet'urned, the

block 71 is 'moved. A 3 ln.6 projects into a quadrant shaped slot 2' :in the block and V closing and sealing said 'housing,: a spindle mounted for rotation in'said' housing and protrudlng from thehouslng' at one: end

thereof, said end being' engageable for rotatin'gth'e spindle, a' spring-pressed member disjacent the lower endof lthe'valve' spindle,

means'associated" with said spindle and said valve proper and effective on the maoner 'the spindlefto vary the operative length of said spindle therebyto increase 7 or -'diininish the spring tension on said member, and means for expressly controlling the rotary "movement ofthe spindle ineither direction within narrow limits relative-to the valve proper. 25A safety valve for-vessels under fluld pressure, comprlsing; a housing, means for closing and sealing saidhousing, a spindle protruding from the housing at one en'd thereof, said end beingflengageable for rotating the spindle, a spring-pressedmember dis- 1 posed onsaid spindle, a valve proper with 1 which the'l lower end "of thespindle'ico-opeb sit pn the nut-like b se Piece f-and a Plfi- 631 ates and means comblnedwlththe lower end "mountedfor rotation in "said housing and v 1 of saidgspindle and efiective' onj-manualrotm 'tio'n of u ppe r' jendi'of the spindle to"vary the operative length. oflsaid spindleflthereby ito increase or diminish the spring tension on said member, and means combined with the valveprop-er andtheylower 'endlof said 1 spindle: within an limits relative 1150' {the V v y I V V *valveproper, i i 501sscrew threadedand fitsthe screw-threadf spindle f permitting rotary; "movement of the I, 3. safety valve; for' vessels-under fiuid pressure comprising-a'housing, means for mountedfor rotation said "housing and or irregular bot-tomportionrmarked o and protruding from the housing at one end thereof, said end being engageable for rotate ing the spindle, a spring-pressed member disposed on said spindle, a valve proper upon which said spindle bears, means in threaded engagement with the lower end of the spindle and efiective on the rotation of the spindle to vary the operative length of said spin-' associated with the outer end of the spindle tension of the spring, and means for llmlting for imparting rotary motion thereto, means for limiting said rotary motion, a spring cap disposed on said spindle adjacent to its lower end, a spring seated on said cap and encircling said spindle, a valve proper, means combined with said spindle and bearing on said valve proper, means associated with the spindle andthe valve proper and effective on rotation of the valve spindle to vary the operative length of the spindle thereby to adjust the the turning movement of said valve spindle relative to the valve proper for the described e I purposes. a

5. A safety valve for vessels under fluid pressure, comprising a housing, means for closing and sealing said housing, a spindle mounted for rotation in said housing, a valve proper with which said spindle cooperates, means associated with the spindle for imparting rotary motion thereto, means for limiting said rotary motion relative to the valve proper, a spring cap disposed on said spindle adjacent to its lower end, a spring seated on said cap and encircling said spindle, means in threaded engagement with the spindleand effective on rotation thereof to vary the operative length of the spindle thereby to adjust the tension of the spring, for the purposes set forth. I a

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specificationj WILLIAM I-IARGREAVES. 

